To Perish Twice
by dnachemlia
Summary: Gibbs thought he knew the members of his team, but a near tragedy reveals something he never expected. Same 'verse as Fire and Ice, but it's not necessary to read that first. NFA WEE fic for iheartGibbs. Complete.
1. Chapter 1

**To Perish Twice**

NFA White Elephant Exchange (WEE) fic for iheartGibbs

Characters: Gibbs, McGee, Tony, Abby, OCs

Genre: AU/Fantasy/Mystery/Suspense

Warnings: None. Not a death fic, I promise ;)

Prompt: Perfect Strangers – Sometimes you don't know someone as well as you think. Share a scenario in which two characters find themselves in a situation that reveals something the other was unaware of.

Summary: Gibbs thought he knew the members of his team, but a near tragedy reveals something he never expected. Same 'verse as _Fire and Ice,_ but it's not necessary to read that first.

Disclaimer: All recognizable characters are the property of their respective copyright holders. No infringement intended. The original characters and places mentioned are the product of the author's imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to those living, dead, or undead is completely coincidental.

Special thanks to thecookiemomma for the beta.

 **Chapter 1**

Gibbs stood just out of sight of the bullpen, silently watching his team. It was something he had done quite often over the years, as people who didn't know they were being watched tended to be more relaxed, more open, and more themselves. It had allowed Gibbs to learn many things about the men and women who worked for him, things they didn't know he knew, things they probably didn't know about each other or even themselves. It was one of Gibbs' trade secrets, and it allowed him to manage his people much more effectively than waiting for them to tell him what he wanted or needed to know. There was only so much that intimidation would get him, although that was another secret he wasn't about to share with anyone.

Tony was leaning back in his chair, feet up on his desk and hands behind his head, giving the impression that he was asleep. Gibbs knew that was an illusion , and that this was one of Tony's methods for processing information. Most people thought he had to work things through verbally, the 'yabba yabba' for which Gibbs had given him grief over the years, but within the garrulous clown there was a sharp-minded investigator who used his own well honed façade to put others off their guard. Gibbs suspected it was why the two of them had worked so well together for so many years.

Ellie was sitting cross-legged in her chair, earbuds dangling from her ears and her attention fixed on her computer. With one hand she was scrolling through the data on the screen, and the other held her current junk food item of choice. Gibbs smirked as he briefly wondered what bit of information she was associating with wasabi-ginger potato chips, and if it was as eye-opening as the chips had been when he had decided to try them for himself. He knew that many assumed, due to her stature and quirkiness, that she was nothing more than a wide-eyed kid who needed constant petting and protection. He had almost fallen into that trap himself, but after a year on the team she had called him on it, and he had re-evaluated his own assumptions. Now he knew that while she did not have the same tough exterior as the two women who had sat in that chair before her she did have the same sense of justice and power of her convictions. He imagined she'd be quite a handful once she got over her own insecurities, and he looked forward to seeing that in the future.

Tim was working on his own computer, his forehead crinkled in concentration as he fingers flew over the keyboard, performing whatever magic it was he did to pull the necessary facts seemingly from the ether. Tim had actually been the hardest for Gibbs to figure out. When he had first met the very green young agent all those years ago at Norfolk, Gibbs had never expected him to become the agent he was today. He had gotten his first glimpse of Tim's strength when Gibbs had confronted him over a seemingly harmless comment, and much to his surprise the man had not been immediately cowed by the older man's glare. Tim had gone on to prove himself to be useful, and Gibbs had appreciated the young man's enthusiasm for working to meet Gibbs' nearly impossible standards. Still, he had never really expected him to be where he was today, someone Gibbs would trust to have his six just as much as Tony.

Unlike Tony, Tim had a strong family connection. He hadn't needed the 'parenting' that the older man had needed, but Gibbs had learned over the years that Tim had needed a male role model that would actually respect him. Gibbs knew the son of a Navy officer, particularly an admiral, wouldn't need the discipline. He had shown that almost immediately. Approval, however, was something he craved. Gibbs did make him earn it, of course, but he was also willing to show Tim that his demands _could_ be met. He suspected that was what had earned him Tim's seemingly unending loyalty.

Another difference between his two senior agents was how they dealt with trauma. Tony put on a show, his 'I'm fine, nothing here to see' all too obvious, while Tim tended to internalize. Gibbs had seen immediately that both of them needed each other more than they would ever admit, and each balanced the other. They were the core of his team, and he suspected that he was not the only reason why one of them hadn't already decided to move on. They were, as Abby had once said, a strange, dysfunctional little family. Gibbs would never admit it, but he was glad he had that family, with all their idiosyncrasies.

And when one member of the family was struggling, it was Gibbs' duty to help them, when the opportunity presented itself, or sooner if necessary. Gibbs' knew his agent was troubled by something. It was only a matter of time before he would step in to help.

Finally Gibbs decided to return to his desk, which caught the attention of the subject of his musings.

"Boss?"

"Yeah, McGee?"

Tim brought up the information he had collected on the plasma. "I've been cross-checking Lt. Bright's financial history, and it appears he inherited a piece of property in northwestern Virginia. It's still listed under his grandfather's name, which is why we missed it on the first search." He zoomed in on the map to show a heavily forested area. "It's pretty isolated. Could make a good place for a drug lab."

"And that would explain why we didn't find any traces of drugs in his home," Tony offered, and started to reach for his bag.

Gibbs would normally have taken his senior agent with him on this type of errand, but he needed to figure out what was bothering McGee lately and this was too good of an opportunity to miss.

"Let's go, McGee. DiNozzo, Bishop, keep working on identifying Bright's distributors. I need to know how deep this goes."

"Yes, Boss," Tony replied, disappointment coloring his tone as he dropped his bag and turned back to his computer. Ellie merely nodded and went back to work.

McGee silently grabbed his knapsack and followed Gibbs to the elevator. Other than calling to get started on a warrant for the property, he remained silent until they were in the car and headed out of the city. Gibbs noted that McGee looked like he wanted to say something, but every time Gibbs glanced his way he seemed to check himself and clam up again. Finally Gibbs decided to offer the younger man an opening.

"Something on your mind, McGee?"

McGee let out a soft, rueful laugh. "You could say that."

Gibbs waited, knowing that McGee would eventually need to explain himself. After a few more moments of silence, McGee sighed and turned to Gibbs.

"Boss, did you...I mean, everyone has something they keep to themselves, right?" Gibbs nodded. "But if someone means something to you, you should let them in on those secrets, right?"

Gibbs chuckled. "Rule number 4. Part of that is 'tell someone if you must'. Who you tell, well, that depends on the secret."

"When you… You were married. Did you…?"

"Tell them everything? No. Didn't see the need."

"Not even Shannon?" Gibbs glanced sharply at the younger man and McGee blushed. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked that."

Gibbs considered his response for several moments before replying.

"Shannon knew most of them before I married her. Small town, not too many secrets back then. Later… I protected her from what she didn't need to know."

McGee nodded. "I can understand that." He lapsed back into silence, although Gibbs could see he was still a little unsettled.

"Why are asking me this, Tim?"

"I was just wondering...I mean, if you're considering sharing your life with someone, they're going to expect to learn...a lot more about you than you'd expect otherwise."

"This about Delilah? You two getting that serious?"

McGee ducked his head in embarrassment. "Thinking about it. I mean, I asked her to move in, before she left for Dubai. We're working out the details, but…"

"More secrets now? After that op?"

"No. We cleared all of that up. This is...this is an old secret."

"Yours or hers?"

"Mine."

"Who else knows?"

McGee sighed. "My mother. My father knew. No one else knows. Not even the rest of my family."

"Must be a hell of a secret."

McGee chuckled wryly. "You could say that." He glanced at Gibbs, a flash of worry crossing his face. "Nothing that would affect my work, Boss, I swear."

"But it might affect Delilah?"

"I don't know. If we decide we want to have kids, then maybe-" He glanced at Gibbs, red creeping up his cheeks. "Sorry, Boss, that was probably too much information."

"Just a bit." He glanced at his agent. "It's OK to have a life outside of work, McGee. I know I'm not a good example, but having a family and a job at NCIS _can_ work."

"I know. It's just...complicated."

"It always is." He returned his attention to the road, wondering if McGee would share anything else, but his passenger had lapsed back into silence. He was still admittedly curious as to what McGee's big secret could be, but he also knew that McGee had reached the end of his limit for sharing, at least for now. He believed that McGee was telling the truth that whatever it was would not affect his work but he would be keeping a closer eye on the agent for the foreseeable future, just to be safe. There'd been too many times he'd neglected to follow up on something like this and it had come back to bite him in the ass later.

After two more hours and some really bad roads they arrived at the address McGee had found. The cabin was at the end of a narrow gravel driveway and the deep ruts along its length made Gibbs question his decision to try and navigate the path in the low-riding sedan. When the house finally came into view, Gibbs' gut started to churn. There were two vehicles parked near the treeline on the south side of the house, neither of which looked like they really belonged in the neighborhood. Gibbs stopped the car abruptly, earning him a worried look from McGee.

"Boss? Time to call for backup?"

Before he could respond the door of the cabin flew open and a group of men emerged, all carrying weapons. A split second later bullets slammed into the windshield and Gibbs jammed the car into reverse, backing out of the clearing as fast as he could. McGee started to return fire as the men ran for their cars.

"Guess we found the drug lab," McGee quipped as he pulled out his phone to call for backup.

"Good guess." After what seemed like eternity the tires of the sedan hit blacktop and Gibbs spun the car around to head back towards civilization. He had barely put a few hundred yards behind them when the SUV came barreling out of the driveway and started to follow, accompanied by rapid gunfire from at least two semi-automatic rifles. Gibbs floored the accelerator and managed to put some extra distance between them, enough to give McGee time to drop his phone and reload.

"The state highway patrol's on it's way!" he yelled as he snapped a new magazine in place. A split second later the rear windshield exploded and Gibbs felt a hot flash of pain as the bullet grazed his right shoulder. "Boss!"

"Just keep shooting!" He yelled as he struggled to keep the car on the twisting stretch of road. Another bullet embedded itself in the dash, barely missing both men. He started to swerve a little as he tried to make them a harder target, but the sharp curves in the road made it almost unnecessary.

Suddenly a loud BANG rocked the car and the steering wheel jerked in his hands. Gibbs fought to keep the car on the road but another BANG sent it careening towards the edge and soon they were crashing through thick underbrush as the sedan went off the road and down the steep embankment. The momentum caused the car to roll twice before it came to a jarring halt at the bottom of a ravine.

Dazed, it took Gibbs a moment to collect himself enough to try and deflate the airbag. His left arm and shoulder screamed in pain when he tried to move and blood dripped into his eyes, obscuring his vision.

"McGee?" he croaked. "You OK?"

He heard a groan before McGee softly replied. "Been better, Boss."

Before Gibbs could reply another bullet slammed into the car, dangerously close to Gibbs' head. Through his haze he saw McGee drag himself out of the passenger side window and drop to the ground, only to rise a moment later and return fire. Gibbs managed to free himself from his seat belt, only to find that his left foot was pinned in the wheel well. He swore, a sentiment echoed by McGee as he dropped the clip from his gun.

"I'm out. Give me your gun, Boss!" Gibbs pulled his weapon from his holster and tossed it across the seat, where it was quickly retrieved by McGee. More bullets slammed into the sedan, each entirely too close for comfort. Gibbs managed to flatten himself against the seat as he tried to reach his backup weapon, which he was finally able to manage and returned fire of his own. The eventual empty click of the chamber filled sent a chill into his heart and he prayed McGee still had ammo left. Soon another soft curse from the younger man told him their luck, and their ammo, had run out.

"I'm sorry," McGee muttered, and Gibbs heard the weapon fall. "I don't have a choice. I'm sorry."

"McGee? What-?"

Suddenly he felt a flash of intense heat pass over the sedan, followed by screams and a loud explosion. He felt a rush of heat from the other direction and held his breath, waiting for the end. A few moments later he heard a soft voice in his ear.

"Boss? Are you OK? Can you get out?"

"Foot's stuck," Gibbs ground out as the pain from his damaged arm caused his vision to grey. A few moments later he felt his foot release and he pulled back, sending another wave of pain through his body. He felt himself being moved, relatively gently, out of the car and soon he was laying on his back, looking up into a pair of worried green eyes.

"Help is on the way, Boss. Just hang on."

The last thing that passed through Gibbs' mind before the blackness rushed in was to wonder what in the hell had just happened, and how they had both managed to get out of that situation alive.

TBC…


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

A soft, steady beeping was the first thing Gibbs noticed as he started to pull himself towards consciousness. Soon he became aware of other sounds - murmured conversations, the squeak of rubber soles on tile - accompanied by the astringent smell of disinfectant and a faint whiff of blood, all leading him to conclude he was in his least favorite place. He struggled to open his eyes and looked around, groaning when he saw that he had been right.

"Boss?"

A concerned face suddenly appeared in front of him and he bit back another groan as he tried to remember what had landed him here. Flashes of memory passed through his mind: gunfire, the sickening feeling of being in a car as it rolled, pain, and fear for…

"McGee?"

A flash of worry crossed the face. "No, Boss, I'm Tony…"

Gibbs automatically tried to raise his hand to administer a head-slap, but his limb felt like it was full of lead. Instead, he gave the younger man a glare as he ground out a response.

"Know that, DiNozzo. Where's McGee?"

"He's OK. Well, he will be." Tony helped Gibbs raise the head of his bed so he could carry on a conversation. "He was pretty banged up and the doctor wanted to admit him, which is a good thing they did because they caught the internal bleeding before it got too bad. He just got out of surgery about an hour ago."

Before Gibbs could respond to that news, a nurse came in and started fussing over him. He surveyed his own injuries: broken arm, dislocated shoulder, concussion, repaired internal bleeding of his own, a couple of bullet grazes and a severely bruised and sprained ankle. When she brought him a much-appreciated cup of ice, he asked when he'd be getting out of the hospital. She just smiled and informed him that he was being kept for observation for at least another 24 hours, and to enjoy the time off while he could. Gibbs grumbled an impolite response as she left and returned his attention to Tony.

"Do you remember what happened, Boss?"

"Yeah. Got to the cabin, guys with guns started chasing us, shot out the tires and we went off the road." He paused as he tried to remember what actually did happen next. "Had a shootout. Ran out of ammo…Then the shooting stopped. McGee got me out of the car." He paused again, frustrated by the lack of memories that accompanied the rescue. "Rest is a blank. McGee can tell you the rest."

"He did, Boss. He said the shooters had you guys pinned down from the top of the ravine. One of his shots must have ruptured the gas tank and sparked the fumes. Their car exploded, taking them with it." Tony laughed softly. "Lucky shot."

"Saved our asses, too."

"Yeah… He's gonna be OK, Boss. McHero knows he's not allowed to be anything but OK. Neither are you."

"You ordering me around now, DiNozzo?"

"Nope. Just reminding you."

Gibbs managed a smile. "Go check on McGee. Tell him I owe him one."

Tony grinned, obviously relieved that Gibbs was mostly OK. "On it, Boss."

After Tony left, Gibbs leaned back and closed his eyes. He tried to pull more memories from the haze clouding his mind, driven by a strange certainty that there was something missing from the story Tony had reported to him.

 _Think, damn it!_

He had been pinned in the car. He had run out of ammo, and then…

 _"I'm sorry... I don't have a choice. I'm sorry."_

He remembered a flash of heat, that must have been from the car exploding...but wait. It had passed over him, but not from the direction of the road. Where had it come from?

Gibbs had a sudden urge to go find McGee, to talk to him, and try and understand what had happened. Had he been _that_ disoriented? Or was his memory faulty due to his head injury? Gibbs sighed. He was in no position to figure this out now. Might as well get some sleep…

When Gibbs awoke for the second time, the lights in his room were dim, and the sky outside the room's small window was black. Surprised that he had managed to sleep that long, he started to reach for the call button and was startled by a soft voice to his right.

"Boss?"

He turned to see McGee sitting in a wheelchair next to his bed, still dressed in a hospital gown and loose-fitting robe. Beneath the bruises and scrapes that marred his face the man was deathly pale, with dark circles under his eyes, and his jaw was clenched in pain.

"Tim, what in the hell are you doing out of bed? You just had surgery a few hours ago."

A weak smile appeared on his face. "Nothing a band-aid couldn't fix, Boss."

Gibbs resisted the urge to try and head-slap his agent. Instead he raised the head of his bed and looked McGee in the eye. "What happened?"

McGee refused to meet his gaze. "What do you remember?"

"I remember you saved my life. Not real sure on how."

"Didn't Tony tell you…?"

"Yeah, he did." Gibbs studied the younger man and was startled to notice that he almost seemed to be afraid of his boss. "The car blew up. Lucky shot."

"But you don't believe in luck," McGee whispered. He had that same shameful look he had whenever something he wanted to keep secret was in danger of being revealed. Gibbs wasn't sure what this secret was, but it was a hell of a lot bigger than anything he'd seen before. He wasn't completely certain what was going on but he owed it to McGee to listen.

"I think I'd be willing to believe it this time." McGee's eyebrows shot up and finally he met Gibbs' gaze.

"Y-you would?"

"Like I told DiNozzo, I owe you one. Just tell me one thing." McGee eyed him warily before giving a shaky nod. "Who were you apologizing to?"

Before McGee could reply a nurse walked in and let out an exasperated sigh when she caught sight of the younger man.

"There you are. You really shouldn't be out of bed, Agent McGee. How did you even manage to get down here all by yourself?"

McGee ducked his head, refusing to meet the nurse's gaze. She just shook her head and walked over to grab the handles of his wheelchair.

"I see your team's reputation is well earned, Agent Gibbs. He's as stubborn as you are."

Gibbs gave her a proud smile and she sighed in disgust. "Say goodnight, Agent McGee."

"G'night...Boss."

"Get some rest, Tim, and when you're ready to talk...I'll listen."

McGee's eyes widened. "You...you will?"

Gibbs nodded and he thought he saw relief in McGee's eyes. "Yeah. You don't have anything to worry about."

"Thanks, Boss." He slumped back in his chair, clearly exhausted, and the nurse wheeled him out of the room and out of sight.

Gibbs relaxed against his pillows but his mind was still churning. Something very...hinky was going on here, but he was damned if he could figure out what it was. He could only hope that McGee would decide he did need to talk, and sooner rather than later.

Unfortunately that opportunity did not immediately present itself. Gibbs was released from the hospital, with strict orders to stay off his injured ankle as much as possible, and his visits to McGee-who had been kept under observation for a couple of days longer-were usually accompanied by another member of the team, Delilah, or his family. McGee was more withdrawn during this visits than he had been for a long time, and coaxing any information at all from his agent was a near impossibility.

Gibbs knew Tony was worried about his partner, more than he would openly admit, so he let Tony take charge of the 'get McGee back to normal' task. Gibbs also knew his senior agent would report back to him on McGee's status, even if it was in the form of a worried rant. He learned that McGee was getting better, physically at least, but was still withdrawn to the point of worrying the rest of his team.

Once Gibbs returned to work, however, he had less time to worry about McGee since he was occupied with finishing up their case. Tony filled him in as soon as he arrived in the bullpen that first morning back.

"Looks like you and McGee managed to take out most of a family of meth cooks, Boss," he commented by way of greeting when Gibbs walked (limped, but he'd never admit that) into the bullpen. "Well, meth, and just about any other related drug."

Gibbs joined Tony and Ellie at the plasma while McGee, still too pale for Gibbs' liking, remained at his desk and brought up the required images. The mug shots of four rough-looking men, all of whom looked somewhat alike, appeared on the screen.

"Meet the Haskels." Tony pointed to the oldest of the group. "Rudy Haskel, long rap sheet for possession and distribution of meth, E, and a few other analogs. Arrested several times on suspicion of murdering some of their competitors, but oddly enough the witnesses tended to disappear before the cases ever went to trial." He clicked on the next picture. "Rudy's eldest, Troy Haskel, similar record to Daddy, with the added bonus of a bust for kiddie porn." He clicked on a third picture. "Flynn Haskel. Probably the brains behind the cooking. College degree in chemistry, two years in the industry before joining the family business." He clicked on the fourth picture. "Rudy's nephew, Jesse. In charge of the books and hiding the family assets." He nodded to McGee, who pulled up a fifth mugshot. "The brains behind the business, Carter Haskel." Tony grinned as he pointed to the image of a severe looking man with a shaved head and goatee. "Looks like Heisenberg, doesn't he?"

"Who?"

"You know, Walter White's alter ego. _Breaking Bad_? All he needs is the black hat and-"

"Is that relevant to the case, DiNozzo?"

"No, but it's… Not important. He wasn't among the bodies in the car. Did you see him at the cabin?"

"Yeah," Gibbs replied as remembered where he had seen that face before. "Last one out the door. The only one not carrying a weapon."

"Maybe he doesn't like to get his hands dirty," Tony offered.

"Anything else?"

"The DEA has been tracking these guys for months. Never been able to find their manufacturing site, and Carter and Jesse have been one step ahead of them in hiding the money. They're not particularly happy with us right now, to say the least."

"How did Bright get mixed up in all this?"

"Blackmail," Ellie replied. "Lt. Bright did buy drugs from them once, and they used that as leverage to force Bright to let them use the cabin. He sent a letter confessing everything to his wife before he was killed. She brought it to us two days ago."

"What now, Boss?"

"Find Carter."

"Before he finds you," a voice replied from behind them and Gibbs turned to find an unfamiliar man in a dark suit walking towards them, accompanied by Vance.

"Agent Gibbs, meet Agent Hoffman, DEA. He's in charge of the Haskel task force."

"Looks like we did most of your job for you," Gibbs replied as he eyed the black-haired, blue-eyed man.

"Made it worse is more likely. You have no idea what you're dealing with."

"Drug dealers. Scum of the earth."

"Vicious, unconscionable bastards to boot. Our informants tell us Carter knows you killed his family. He's reportedly out for blood. You and Agent McGee will need to go into protective custody."

"Like hell they will," Tony growled as he stepped into Hoffman's personal space. "We protect our own."

"'Your own' are walking wounded, and we're going to need all hands on deck to _find_ Carter Haskel before he makes good on his threat."

"Which means you need us working on the case, too." Gibbs glanced at McGee, who nodded.

"They'll both be safe while in this building," Vance added. "And I think you'll find these agents to be a valuable asset in tracking down whatever leads your fieldwork will unearth."

McGee was already typing away, his gaze flicking back and forth across the computer screen. "Got a hit on the BOLO. Carter Haskel was last seen at a gas station in Waldorf two hours ago, but the clerk didn't get a license plate."

"We'll send someone to check the video footage. Anything else?"

"His most recent address is listed in Bel Alton, Maryland. Maybe he's headed home," Ellie suggested.

"We've got the place staked out, so I doubt it. Was anyone else with him when he was last seen?"

"No."

"Doesn't mean he's not gathering a few hired hands to help out. Guy has a lot of influence on the street. He's dangerous, Agent Gibbs. I'd feel better if both of you went to a safe house as soon as possible."

"We'll discuss it in my office," Vance interrupted, giving Gibbs a look that clearly said ' _we're humoring these people, let me deal with it.'_ Gibbs nodded and smirked, earning him a look of annoyance from Hoffman.

"I certainly hope you take this seriously, Director. Haskel is no laughing matter."

"I assure you, we're taking this very seriously. Gibbs, you know what you need to do."

Gibbs nodded again and returned to his desk as Vance let the DEA agent up the stairs to his office. Once seated he turned to his team, who were all watching him with concern.

"What are you waiting for? Get me background on Haskel. Anything you can find help us catch this bastard."

"On it, Boss."

McGee sent him one more wary look before returning to his task. Gibbs watched him for a few moments before deciding he needed to talk to someone outside of this group.

"Going to see Ducky," he announced as he rose from his chair and headed for the elevator.

When the doors to Autopsy slid open he was greeted by the unpleasant smell of charred human flesh. Ducky was bent over one of the tables, a blackened corpse occupying his attention. He turned when Gibbs entered and sent him an exasperated look.

"Really, Jethro, have you ever considered taking the time to actually recover from one of your misadventures? I understand that Timothy has also returned to work far too soon, but at least he'll agree to restricted duty."

"I'm fine, Duck. McGee's fine. What do ya got for me?"

"I confirmed the identity of all four men, as well as their cause of death. This one, Jesse Haskel, was actually already dead before the fire consumed him. I recovered a bullet from his chest cavity and sent it to Abigail for analysis. She'll be able to determine if it was you or Timothy that fired the fatal shot."

"And the rest?"

"Third degree burns and shrapnel damage as one would expect from being in the vicinity of an exploding vehicle. However, there is one thing that's rather puzzling."

"What's that?"

"Well, the deepest burns appear on the front of the bodies, while the shrapnel damage is confined to their backs. It's as if the fire hit them from the front before the car exploded behind them. It doesn't make much sense, given that Timothy reported they were standing in front of the car and firing down at you from atop the ravine." Ducky sighed. "They could have turned as the car exploded, and that might explain the injuries. Still, it's an oddity."

"Stranger things have happened, Duck," Gibbs replied, but his own gut was telling him this was something more than just an 'oddity'. He still wasn't sure what, or why, but he was pretty sure McGee knew, and Gibbs knew he needed to have a serious talk with him as soon as he could.

"True. Otherwise, their deaths are pretty straightforward." Gibbs saw a flash of concern in the M.E.'s eyes. "I understand that there's another member of the family who might be wanting to take action as a result of these events."

"So I've heard. Gonna go see Abby. Thanks, Duck."

"Be careful, Jethro. You are not indestructible."

"I noticed," he replied, raising his broken arm slightly and wincing. "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine."

"I certainly hope so."

Gibbs sent him a wave and headed for the elevator. He could hear Abby's music as soon as the doors opened again and he winced. One thing he would never understand was her taste, or her propensity to play her favorite songs at ear splitting volumes. She had her back to him when he entered the lab, her focus on her computer screen. He walked over and picked up the remote for the sound system, and the resulting silence caused her to turn around, an annoyed expression on her face.

"Gibbs!" Her anger quickly melted and she rushed over to hug him, albeit more gently than normal. "You're back!" He returned the hug with one arm and smirked when she drew back.

"What do ya got for me, Abbs?"

"I compared the bullet that Ducky removed from Jesse Haskel to both your and McGee's guns. You took the bad guy down, Gibbs."

He sighed inwardly in relief. One less thing for McGee to worry about.

"Anything else?"

"Pretty much everything else was destroyed by the fire or the explosion."

"So no idea where else they've been, or where Carter might be now."

She shook her head. "Sorry, Gibbs." The same flash of concern he'd seen with Ducky passed over Abby's face. "That guy is going to go after you now. If he finds out you killed his son…"

"He won't, unless I tell him. After he's in custody."

"Which can't come soon enough. Please be careful."

Gibbs chuckled and kissed her forehead. "I'll plan on it."

As he was riding the elevator back up to the bullpen, Gibbs went over what he had learned in his mind. It was almost a relief that he hadn't been completely useless in taking down the members of the drug ring, but he was still at a loss to explain what he had witnessed and Ducky's findings.

The team worked through the day to try and track down the last Haskel, but none of the hits on the BOLO panned out. Gibbs could see that McGee was flagging, and by 1900 it was apparent his agent needed an extended break.

"McGee." The younger man didn't seem to hear him and Gibbs walked over to his desk, leaning over him before repeating his name. Startled, McGee looked up and quickly dropped his gaze.

"Sorry, Boss. I'm still looking for-"

"Go home, McGee." He allowed his concern to show. "You're still not 100%, and you need a break."

"I'm fine, Boss."

"It's time you both took a break." Gibbs looked up to see Hoffman and another agent approaching. "We're ready to take you to the safe house, and before you argue, Director Vance authorized it. Call him if you want, but we need to get going."

Gibbs sighed. "Let's go, McGee." He grabbed his go-bag from his desk and waited for McGee to do the same before he followed the agents to the elevator. When they reached the parking garage they were quickly escorted to a nondescript sedan and climbed in the back seat. McGee leaned back against the seat and closed his eyes, clearly exhausted, and Gibbs decided to let him rest. They'd have plenty of time to talk tonight.

They left the District and headed for western Maryland. An hour into the trip, McGee stirred and opened his eyes, a worried look crossing his face when he saw Gibbs watching him.

"Sorry. Didn't mean to fall asleep."

"Not a problem."

"Where are we?"

"About twenty minutes from the safe house," Hoffman replied. "It's been a quiet trip."

"Do you really think Haskel will try something?"

"At some point, yes. We've been tracking this guy for years, and one thing we know is that to him family is everything. He's going to want revenge, one way or another, and... _what in the hell?_ "

The had just rounded a curve, only to find a car on fire directly in front of them. The driver hit the brakes to avoid a collision but a loud BANG caused the sedan to swerve dangerously close to the side of the road. As he tried to compensate, a second explosion sent the sedan careening back towards the edge and down over the side. The car started to roll and Gibbs had one last thought before his head connected with the window and the blackness returned.

 _Damn it, not again…_

TBC…


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

 _Why am I cold?_

Gibbs dragged his mind back to consciousness and immediately regretted that decision. His whole body ached, especially his recently broken arm, and his head was throbbing. He slowly further assessed his condition and was surprised to realize that not only was he cold, he had been stripped down to his underwear and his feet were bare.

 _What in the hell?_

He managed to open his eyes and saw that he was in a large dark room, sitting on a cold, hard, concrete floor, with his good arm handcuffed to a pole. He looked around and saw McGee lying on the floor a few feet away, both of his hands cuffed together around another pole. He had been stripped to his underwear as well and was silently trembling.

"McGee."

McGee's eyes slowly opened to half-mast and he seemed to focus on Gibbs for a moment before they slipped shut again.

"Damn it…"

"Hello, Agent Gibbs."

Gibbs turned towards the strange voice and saw a middle aged, bespectacled man with a shaved head and goatee standing a few feet away, looking down at him with contempt. It took Gibbs a moment to recognize him.

"Carter Haskel."

The man nodded in acknowledgement. "I would say it's nice to meet you, but it's not."

"Feeling's mutual."

Haskel smirked. "Yes, but I think my grievance is justified. You killed my family."

"Yeah, well, they started it."

"They were simply defending our interests, Agent Gibbs. I'm sure you can understand that."

"'Interests'? Is that what you call a drug lab you blackmailed a Navy lieutenant to get?"

Haskel snorted. "Your lieutenant wasn't so innocent, Gibbs. Remember, he came to me first. They all do." Gibbs didn't reply and Haskel moved a few steps closer. "Bright certainly wasn't worth the destruction you caused."

"He was a Navy officer."

"Yes, but you have plenty of those. I only had one son." A flash of rage crossed Haskel's face. "And he burned to death because of you."

"Actually, it was my bullet that took him out. He was dead before the car exploded."

"It doesn't matter. He was my child. That kind of loss... You can't begin to understand."

"Yeah, I can." Haskel's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "The difference is _my_ family didn't sell poison to children."

Haskel let out a bark of laughter. "You underestimate the status of my clientele, Agent Gibbs. It's always surprising to learn who seeks out my product, and who provides the demand for what I simply supply. Naval officers, politicians, law enforcement…"

"DEA agents. Hoffman was one of yours, wasn't he? That's how you found us."

Haskel laughed again. "Think higher up the food chain, Agent Gibbs. I almost felt sorry for Agent Hoffman. He had no idea how much his efforts were being undermined by his own supervisor. It was quite amusing to watch. Ah, well, at least he won't be suffering that embarrassment any longer. Neither will his partner."

Gibbs schooled his features to hide the surge of anger and guilt he felt at the mention of the DEA agents' fate. As he struggled to maintain control he made a quick survey of the room they were in and realized it was an old cold storage locker.

"So what now, Haskel?"

"I'm going to deal out a little...poetic justice."

"Yeah? How?"

Haskel gave Gibbs a rather chilling smile before he began to recite in a low voice.

" _Some say the world will end in fire,_

 _Some say in ice._

 _From what I've tasted of desire_

 _I hold with those who favor fire."_

He grinned, and Gibbs felt a cold twist of fear in his gut before the man continued.

" _But if it had to perish twice,_

 _I think I know enough of hate_

 _To say that for destruction ice_

 _Is also great_

 _And would suffice."_

"Eh, sorry, stopped reading poetry after my last high school English class."

"Somehow that does not surprise me."

Haskel moved over to the wall and flipped a switch. Gibbs heard a motor start up somewhere and felt a cold rush of air wash over him. Haskel donned a heavy parka before he returned to where Gibbs was sitting.

"I seriously considered leaving the two of you in that car with Hoffman and Evans and firebombing it, but then I decided that _this_ would allow me to witness every last moment of your and your agent's demise." He walked over to McGee and kicked him, producing a soft, pained groan from the younger man. "And as a bonus, I suspect you'll get to watch one of your people die first. I don't think Agent McGee will last long enough to freeze to death, even."

"McGee's tougher than he looks."

Haskel kicked him again and Gibbs winced in sympathy as McGee let out a pained whimper. "Yes, I can see that. But the odds are still against him." He walked over to the door and turned his back on Gibbs as he pulled out a cell phone and dialed a number, briefly ignoring the two men.

"McGee?" Gibbs whispered, praying he'd get a response, but the younger man remained silent. "Damn it, Tim, don't you dare die on me. That's an order." Gibbs saw McGee's eyes open slightly and he thought he saw McGee nod. Now he just needed to figure out how to get both of them out of this alive. Finally he decided on an old-stand by: piss off the bad guy until he makes a mistake.

"You know what happened to your son...and your brother and nephews is your fault, right?" Gibbs called out to Haskel as he ended his call. "You got them involved in the drug trade. That never ends well, not for anybody."

Haskel snorted. "You're wrong there, Agent Gibbs. My brother was actually the founder of our family enterprise. Unfortunately he lacked the business sense to make it a success. That's why I stepped in." He crouched down in front of Gibbs and gave him a humorless smile. "And everything was going well until you showed up." The smile vanished. "You're going to regret that."

"Stopping a bunch of dirtbags? Nah."

Haskel hauled off and smacked Gibbs across the face before regaining control of himself and stomping across the room. Gibbs tested his jaw and winced. Not broken, but it was going to hurt for the foreseeable future.

Gibbs checked on McGee again and noticed with alarm that he was no longer shivering.

"McGee."

No response.

"Damn it."

He scanned the room, looking for something that could be used as a weapon, provided he could actually _get_ to it. His gaze passed over a beam that spanned the room and that's when he noticed something very strange. A large amount of ice had gathered around one section the beam, the section under which Haskel passed every time he walked across the room to the door.

Gibbs glanced at Haskel, who seemed to be occupied with another phone conversation, and let his gaze shift back to the beam. More ice had already gathered, and as Gibbs watched the chunk of ice seemed to be expanding and a large, sharply pointed icicle was forming just under the center of its mass.

 _What in the hell?_

He looked for a source of water - a dripping pipe or a hole in the roof - but he saw nothing that could account for what he was seeing. He turned to McGee and saw that his eyes were half-open again and he seemed to be watching the spectacle, but the expression on his face was one of concentration rather than puzzlement.

As Gibbs worked through his own confusion he noticed something else: he didn't feel as cold as he did before, and for ice to be forming like that, it should be really cold, right? He looked across the room to Haskel and could see puffs of breath coming from the other man, but he could not see his own, or McGee's. He turned his gaze back to McGee and saw a bead of sweat trickle down his forehead and drip on the floor.

Before he could even begin to work through what he was seeing and feeling he noticed that Haskel was heading back their way.

"Comfy, Agent Gibbs?" he asked with sadistic glee as he approached...and walked directly under the mass of ice. A loud crack was his only warning before the ice broke free and the icicle fell straight down, impaling Haskel right through his chest. He staggered, his wide eyes locking on Gibbs before he fell backward and crashed to the floor, ice scattering around him.

Gibbs could only stare for several moments before he finally found his voice.

"Huh. Guess it did suffice."

He heard a click near his head and looked up to see that the handcuff had sprung open, freeing him from the pole. He immediately crawled over to McGee to check on him. His breathing was ragged and when Gibbs touched his forehead he could almost feel the heat leaving McGee's body, leaving him pale and clammy. Gibbs checked over the rest of him and winced when he felt the rigidness in McGee's abdomen.

"Hang on, Tim. I'm going to get you out of here." He grasped McGee's hand and felt a weak squeeze in return. After struggling to his feet, he staggered over to Haskel and, after confirming that he was dead, checked through his pockets for the cell phone. He quickly dialed a number and waited for the familiar voice to answer.

"DiNozzo. Track this cell. And send an ambulance. Hurry." He stumbled over to the door as Tony shouted questions into his ear and flipped the switch to turn off the cold air blower. After opening the door to let the warmer outside air in, he made his way back to McGee and awkwardly knelt down next him, ignoring his body's protest.

"Help's on the way, Tim. Hang in there. You're gonna be fine." He took McGee's hand again and felt another weak squeeze in return. As he sat and waited he noticed the cold starting to creep back in. He struggled to understand what he had witnessed, and finally decided he wouldn't be able to understand it, not until he had a chance to talk to McGee.

Finally he heard the sounds of approaching sirens and breathed a sigh of relief. He leaned down and whispered in McGee's ear.

"We made it, Tim. You did good."

There was no response, and Gibbs prayed that he would get that chance to talk to McGee, and that his agent would survive this latest attempt to end their lives.

XXX

Gibbs woke with a start and when he took in his surroundings he groaned.

 _Damn it, not again…_

After a moment the memories of the previous night resurfaced. The local police and ambulance had arrived before the team, and the paramedics had taken McGee to the hospital. Gibbs had wanted to go with him, but also knew he had to brief the rest of his team when they finally arrived almost an hour later (and thankfully he had located his clothes before they arrived, as he hadn't been looking forward to doing a sit-rep in his skivvies). He had taken that time to come up with a plausible story, backed up by what evidence remained.

As soon as he saw him, Ducky had insisted that Gibbs be sent to the hospital as well, and he had gone with less protest than usual; it would give him a chance to check on McGee sooner rather than later. Unfortunately, by the time he arrived he was really feeling the effects of the second crash and he hadn't been able to muster the usual amount of authority and intimidation that would get him in to see his agent. Instead he had been overwhelmed by the doctors and nurses and had eventually wound up in the hospital room in which he had awoken.

Gibbs surveyed the room and saw Abby and Tony seated in two chairs next to his bed, leaning against each other and both fast asleep. He sighed and reached for the button to raise the head of his bed and then pressed the call button. A nurse arrived soon after.

"When can I get out of here?"

A surprised look crossed her face and she frowned. "I'll ask the doctor. He should be starting rounds in an hour or so. In the meantime-"

"I need to check on my agent. Tim McGee. How is he?"

"I don't know, he's not on my shift." She started to check him over and he groaned in annoyance.

"Find out."

The nurse gave him a mildly irritated look as she finished her assessment. "I'll see what I can do." She left just as Tony started to stir. A few moments later he opened his eyes and met Gibbs' stare.

"Boss?" He rubbed a hand across his face before moving to Gibbs' bed. "How are you feeling?"

"How's McGee?"

Abby jerked awake and after blinking blearily at him for a moment a relieved grin crossed her face. "Gibbs! You're awake!" She jumped up to hug him but he held up a hand to stop her.

"Raincheck, Abbs. How is McGee?"

Her smile faded. "He...he'll be OK. He has to be." Worried by the look on her face, Gibbs turned to Tony.

"What happened?"

"He's in the ICU right now, Boss. He was in a lot worse shape than you...and a lot worse than last time." Tony checked his watch. "He got out of surgery a couple of hours ago, so they're keeping a close eye on him, but… He'll be fine. Ellie's with him right now, but Ducky should be back soon. He'll keep an eye on him."

"I need to see him." Gibbs tried to sit up and paused as a wave of dizziness hit him.

"Whoa, Boss. You need to stay here. Doctor's orders." He flinched at the glare Gibbs he received but continued. "Two concussions in less than a month. They want to keep you here for a couple of days under observation."

"I don't care. I'm going to see McGee."

"Well I see the second knock to you head hasn't improved your stubbornness, Jethro," Ducky commented as he entered the room, followed by another man in a white lab coat. "I told Dr. Crane here he'd have his hands full with you. It looks like my assessment was correct."

"Agent Gibbs, you need-"

"I _need_ to check on my agent."

"Timothy is in good hands, Jethro. He's improving and we expect him to be able to be moved out of the ICU sometime later today."

"What's wrong with him?"

"Agent McGee suffered internal injuries from the crash that resulted in significant internal bleeding, as well as a severe concussion, a broken collar bone, and multiple contusions. We've stabilized him and, as Dr. Mallard mentioned, he is showing steady improvement. We're optimistic that he'll have a complete recovery."

"How long?"

Crane glanced at Ducky, who sent him an ' _I told you so'_ look. "We expect to keep him here for at least a week, and then he'll need to spend some time at a rehabilitation facility. I doubt he'll be returning to work for while. A month, at least, preferably longer. He needs to heal, and considering that he was injured previously and no doubt returned to work too soon…"

"Fine. I get it. What about me?"

"While your injuries were less severe, you also need time to heal, Agent Gibbs. Expect to be our guest for at least three more days."

"Wonderful," Gibbs muttered.

Ducky patted his shoulder. "Get some rest. I'll go check on Timothy."

He and Crane left, leaving Gibbs with Tony and Abby. She leaned over and gave him a very gentle hug. "I'm so glad you're OK, Gibbs. When we heard that your transport never arrived at the safe house, and then they found the sedan with those DEA agents still inside…"

He returned the hug as best he could. "You heard the doctor, Abbs. I'll be fine. We both will."

"You two got lucky," Tony declared, a relieved smile on his face. "Again. I can't believe Haskel was taken out by a giant icicle. That's almost…"

"Poetic?"

Tony chuckled. "Something like that. You'll almost have to start believing in luck now, Boss."

"Yeah, almost."

Tony tugged on Abby's arm and started to guide her away from the bed. "Get some rest, Boss. We'll be back later."

"After we check on Timmy."

"Right. Gotta make sure McWounded knows he needs to get better. Right, Boss?"

"Yeah. When you see him, tell him… Tell him he did good."

"Will do. See you later."

"Bye, Gibbs!"

He gave them a little wave of dismissal and they departed, leaving Gibbs alone with his thoughts.

Gibbs spent the next 24 hours in bed, mostly sleeping or interacting with the stream of people who seemed to be continuously passing through his room. Finally he was allowed to get up and he convinced one of the nurses to take him to see McGee, with the stipulation that she would only take him if he agreed to ride in a wheelchair.

Twenty minutes later he was being wheeled into the step-down unit to where they had moved McGee from the ICU a few hours before. The nurse parked his chair next to McGee's bed and left, allowing him time alone with his agent.

"God, Tim…"

McGee looked terrible, almost as bad as he had looked back in the locker. He had an oxygen mask over his face and multiple tubes and wires connected him to a variety of machines and monitors. The bruises, now fading to shades of purple and green, stood out starkly against his pale skin. His breathing was slow but steady, and the heart monitor showed a strong, steady beat as well.

Gibbs took a moment to let the feelings of relief wash over him. Tim was alive. Gibbs hadn't failed another one of his people...this time.

He gently rested a hand on McGee's arm and after a few minutes McGee started to stir. His eyes finally opened and after blinking a few times his gaze shifted to Gibbs, who felt him tense under his hand.

"Easy, Tim. You're OK." McGee just stared at him, clearly waiting for the ax to fall. Gibbs gave him a rare smile and leaned closer. "You did good, Tim. I don't know exactly what you did, or how… but I'm willing to listen. Like I told you before, when you're ready to tell me, I'll listen. When you tell me is completely up to you. You just need to let me know when you're ready. Until then, and even after, I'll keep your secret. I promise. OK?"

McGee slowly nodded and Gibbs could see relief in those tired green eyes. McGee watched him for a few minutes before his eyes drifted closed again and he relaxed into sleep. Gibbs stayed with him for another hour before the nurse returned to take him back to his own room. After he was settled back into his bed, he took time to consider just what exactly that secret could be, and suspected he hadn't even come close to scratching the surface when it came to knowing all there was to know about Tim McGee.

TBC…

A/N: The poem Haskel quotes is _Fire and Ice_ , by Robert Frost


	4. Chapter 4

To Perish Twice

 **Chapter 4**

 _ ***four months later***_

Gibbs leaned back in his chair and sighed as he watched his team working around him. The air finally seemed to have settled after all of the craziness of the past few months and they were all getting back into the routine.

Tim had returned to full field status just over six weeks ago. His injuries had taken longer to heal than expected, but Gibbs hadn't begrudged him the time off. He had returned to desk duty a month after their encounter with Haskel and had backed them up with his computer work as well as he ever had, but he had seemed a bit gun shy about returning to the field. Ducky had noticed the problem and referred him to Dr. Cranston, and after a month of sessions he had finished the process to re-certify as a field agent. Since that time Gibbs had kept a close watch on him, and McGee had seemed to be, for all intents and purposes, back to normal.

But he had never said he was ready to talk about what had happened back in that storage locker.

Gibbs was not, by nature, a patient man. He'd learned the skill as a sniper and could use it when necessary, when it was warranted, but for him that was rare. For McGee he had made an exception, driven by the certainty that his agent would eventually come around. He just hadn't expected it to take so long…

"Boss, gonna make the lunch run. You want the usual?"

Gibbs looked up at Tony and nodded. After he had gotten orders from the rest he headed out, and Ellie declared that she needed to to check on something with Abby, leaving Gibbs and McGee alone in the bullpen.

"Boss?" Gibbs looked up to see his agent standing in front of his desk.

"Yeah, McGee?"

"I, uh…" He stepped closer and lowered his voice. "I was wondering if you had plans this weekend. I mean, we're not on call, if we don't get a case, and..."

"Spit it out, McGee."

"I was wondering if you'd like to go camping...and fishing. With me."

"I don't have any other plans."

"Oh, OK. Uh, good, does that mean…?"

"Where are we going?"

He glanced around to make sure no one else was within earshot. "The mountains. A cabin, near a lake, and…" He nervously bit his lip and dropped his gaze. "I'm...ready to talk, Boss, if you're still willing to listen."

"I'm still willing to listen, Tim."

Gibbs could see relief starting to replace the anxiety McGee had been radiating since he approached Gibbs' desk. "That's good. Thank you."

"You want me to meet you there, or..?"

"No, I can drive. Pick you up after work?"

"That works for me. Give me some time to get my gear together. Say half an hour."

"I can do that."

"Sounds like a plan."

McGee nodded and hurried back to his desk, and for the first time in years Gibbs was hoping they wouldn't get a case before the end of the day.

When 1700 rolled around, Gibbs breathed a sigh of relief. "Pack it up, go home."

Tony and Ellie looked up in surprise. "Boss, are you-"

"Go. Be back at 0600 on Monday."

Ellie quickly grabbed her bag and left but Tony lingered. "What's going on?"

"A weekend off. Taking advantage of it."

"Big plans?"

Gibbs just glared at him so he turned to McGee. "I know Delilah's out of town, so you want to go grab a drink?"

"Nah, I'm good, Tony. Raincheck?"

"You sure?" McGee nodded. "Alright. See you on Monday."

After he left, McGee turned to Gibbs. "Half an hour?"

"Yep. See you in a bit."

Gibbs didn't have long to wait after he had gathered what he needed for the weekend. McGee arrived at the appointed time and after Gibbs had stowed his gear he climbed in the passenger seat of McGee's Prius, relaxing a bit as they drove out of the city and towards the mountains. McGee remained silent for most of the trip, only breaking it long enough to ask Gibbs where he wanted to stop for dinner.

They found a little Mom & Pop style diner and while they were eating, Gibbs decided to try and get a little more information.

"So where are we going, exactly?"

"It's near the northeast end of George Washington National Forest. I have a cabin with lake access."

"Rent or own?"

"Own. I've had it for a few years. I used to go there about once a month, when we weren't on call."

"Used to?"

"I still go, but not as often. I'm usually busy on the weekends." He blushed slightly. "I can't bring Delilah, it's not accessible."

"Does she know about it?"

"I've mentioned it. She says she'd like to see it sometime. Still figuring out the logistics...among other things."

Gibbs suspected those "other things" were part of the reason they were making this trip. "You'll work it out, one way or another."

McGee just gave him a weak smile and resumed eating. After they had finished their end-of-the-meal coffee Gibbs paid the check, stating that since Tim was driving he could cover dinner, and they were soon back on the road. McGee remained silent for the rest of the trip and Gibbs occupied himself by watching the increasingly forested scenery pass by.

Nearly two hours passed before McGee turned onto a rough gravel road that led deep into the forest. After about a mile, he turned into an even rougher road that wove through the trees until it reached a clearing where a small log cabin sat. It reminded Gibbs of his own cabin and looked equally primitive.

"I guess this is what the real estate people would call 'rustic'," Gibbs remarked as he climbed out of the car and McGee let out a soft huff of laughter.

"There's a pump in the kitchen for water and a fireplace for heat and cooking. The, uh, facilities are out back."

"You really are on vacation out here, then."

"Yeah."

Gibbs grabbed his gear while McGee lifted the groceries and ice from the cooler in the trunk of his car before he led them to the front porch, where an old freezer with a lock on the lid sat. He unlocked the freezer, deposited the bags inside and locked it again before he unlocked the cabin door. After returning to his car for the rest of his gear, they entered the cabin.

It was very clean inside, with a stone fireplace that had been outfitted for cooking and a small kitchen area with a old-fashioned hand pump in the sink. Tim deposited his gear next to a camp cot that stood against the wall opposite the fireplace and turned to Gibbs.

"You can have the bed, Boss. I can sleep on the floor."

"No need, I brought my own." Gibbs unpacked and set up his cot while McGee removed kindling and larger logs from a box in the wall and started to arrange the wood in the fireplace. When he was finished, he selected a battery-powered lantern from his pile of gear and turned to Gibbs.

"Let's go down to the lake. It's not far."

"Works for me."

McGee led him into the forest behind the cabin and down a narrow dirt path that ended at a small beach. Gibbs noticed a wooden dock that extended about thirty feet out over the lake and several logs surrounding what looked like a campfire ring. McGee set the lantern on one of the logs and set to working building a second pile of wood for the campfire. Gibbs helped him carry the wood from a tarp-covered stack near the trees and soon they were finished, but to Gibbs' surprise McGee didn't light the fire. He sat down on one of the logs and turned to Gibbs, an uncertain expression on his face.

"You said you're willing to listen, Boss."

"Yep."

"It's going to be show and tell."

"Alright." Gibbs sat down on an adjacent log and turned to his agent. "Show me."

McGee held his hand out, palm up, and curled his fingers into a fist. He quickly uncurled them a moment later to reveal a small flame hovering over the palm of his hand, flickering slightly. It rapidly increased in size until it was nearly a foot in height before McGee flicked his hand and flung the flame into the pile of logs, igniting it instantly.

Gibbs sat and stared at the flaming logs, completely speechless for a full minute before McGee started to speak.

"When I was ten months old, my mother walked into my nursery and found the mobile above my crib on fire. Obviously she was pretty freaked out and called the housing inspector out the very next morning to check the wiring in the house, trying to figure out what had happened. He found nothing wrong, and dismissed it as a freak accident. I think she knew then, but it wasn't until a few months later she had to believe it when she saw me with her own eyes set one of my toys on fire." A sad smile crossed Tim's face as he shook his head. "I can't even imagine what that was like for her. My father had just started a six-month tour, and when he came home she told him, and I guess he thought she had lost her mind until he saw what I could do. He didn't react well."

Finally Gibbs found his voice. "Define 'didn't react well'."

"He, uh, tried to discourage me from...using my ability. He was pretty calm at first, but as I got older it got stronger and harder to control. His punishments were...harsh. He thought it was the best way to keep me from doing it, but...I just didn't have the ability to _not_ do it, not yet."

"What happened?"

"My mother finally decided the best way to handle it was for me to learn to control it. She'd bring me out to places like this: isolated, lots of privacy. I practiced, but...I didn't really learn to control it until I was almost ten years old. When I finally learned control I promised her I wouldn't scare her anymore. She also made me promise I'd never use it to hurt anyone else."

"And you had to break that promise. You were apologizing to her." McGee nodded. "But you didn't have a choice." He shook his head.

"No. I was out of ammo, you had stopped firing and I didn't know if you were out of bullets or unconscious. It was a last resort."

"I think she'd forgive you."

"Maybe…"

"But this doesn't explain what I saw when Haskel had us."

McGee's mouth twisted into a half-smile. "A little tweak of chemistry...or physics, I guess." He caught Gibbs' expression and the smile vanished. "After I had learned to control my ability, I started to wonder how it actually worked. Fire is energy in the form of heat and light, and energy can't be created or destroyed...just transformed. Or transferred from one place to another. After some experiments, I figured out I was pulling energy from the surrounding area to create the fire. How I can do that, I still don't really know, but it did at least explain what I was seeing." An odd look crossed his face. "That's when I learned that I could also, uh, manipulate matter."

"Matter?"

"Most forms, although solids are hardest, but liquids and gases are easier. I don't know about plasmas or supercritical fluids, I've never had a chance to try… Sorry, getting off the point."

"So you freed my foot when it was pinned in the car by what, bending the metal with your mind?"

McGee nodded, looking very uncomfortable at the tone of Gibbs' voice. "Yeah. I used that extra help to get you out of the car, too… and unlock the handcuffs."

Gibbs took a moment to absorb that information before he pressed on. "So tell me about the ice. You can move water, but it didn't seem like it was cold enough to turn it to ice, especially that fast."

"That's where the heat transfer comes in. I was pulling the heat energy from the water - kind of like an endothermic reaction pulls energy from the surroundings - as I pulled the water from the air and concentrated it in one spot, allowing ice to form." He blushed and dropped his eyes. "And then I formed it into a weapon."

"And the spot around us was warm because you were pulling the heat towards us?"

"Yeah. I had to spread it out, otherwise I might have set myself on fire."

"Damn…"

They sat in silence for several minutes, watching the flames dance within the fire ring. Finally McGee sighed and turned to Gibbs.

"I'm sorry. I know it's a lot to take in, Boss."

"That would be an understatement, McGee."

Tim sighed. "I understand if it's too much. If you can't...deal with me any more."

"I didn't say that. Just...give me some time to get used to the idea, OK?"

"OK…"

Gibbs turned to look out over the lake. It was quiet, with no evidence of any other late-summer campers in sight. They were completely alone, and Gibbs was beginning to suspect why this privacy was so important to his agent.

"So, when you come out here...it's so you can practice doing what you can do?"

"Something like that."

"OK. Show me."

A startled look crossed McGee's face. "Boss?"

"Help me understand, Tim. Show me what you can do. All of it."

"You sure?" Gibbs nodded. "Uh, OK." He rose from his seat, walked across the beach and out onto the dock. He stood there for a minute, staring down at the water, before he raised his arms and held his hands out, palms up. A few second later a flame appeared over each hand, growing quickly before Tim threw them into the air where they expanded into large balls of fire. They shot up into the sky and exploded, sending hundreds of smaller flames swirling into the night sky before they blinked out.

A second pair of flames appeared in Tim's hands and he sent them skipping across the surface of the water where the sank with a hiss. A moment later the water rose from the surface of the lake, twisting into a small water spout and spinning straight towards shore, where it stopped just a few feet from the lake's edge and fell back into the water with a large splash. Gibbs felt a gust of wind pass him and a dust devil formed at the edge of the lake, careening out across the water before it, too, sank beneath the surface.

Finally, another column of water rose from the lake, freezing slowly until the ice touched the surface. It hung suspended in space for a moment before it shattered and the shards of ice spread out in all directions, swirling in the air currents that carried it out over the lake and out of sight.

Tim slowly lowered his arms and returned to the beach, hesitating when he reached the edge of the fire ring.

"Boss? You OK?"

"Wow."

Tim blushed. "Sorry. I don't...I've never been asked to do that before."

"Not for your parents...or the rest of your family?"

"No one else knows. Just you."

"Alright." He glanced up at the night sky and saw the half moon was starting to set. "It's getting late. We should turn in."

"Are you…?"

"Need to sleep on this. Like you said, a lot to take in."

Tim nodded and kicked dirt over the dying flames. Once the fire was out, he grabbed his lantern and headed back to the cabin with Gibbs following a couple of yards behind.

Once they were inside Tim started the fire in the hearth - with matches, Gibbs noted - and waiting until it was burning steadily before he settled onto his cot, facing away from Gibbs. "Good night...Boss."

"G'night, Tim."

Gibbs reclined on his own cot and closed his eyes, listening to McGee's breathing. Once it had evened out and he was sure the younger man was asleep Gibbs rolled over on his side and watched him, remembering what he had seen down at the lake. Gibbs had watched McGee's expression and body language, and he was sure he had never seen his agent so relaxed, so... _happy_ as he had been while showing Gibbs what he could do. Gibbs had realized that this was the _real_ McGee, that his ability was a part of him, no matter how much he tried to repress it. Gibbs knew he had to decide just how much he was willing to accept this change in perception of his agent, and how it was going to color his dealings with him in the future.

As Gibbs drifted off to sleep, he realized that McGee was still _his_ agent, and he wasn't willing to lose another member of his team, no matter what.

XXX

Gibbs woke to the smell of freshly brewed coffee and wood smoke. He levered himself up off of the camp cot and saw McGee crouched in front of the hearth, tending to the fire. He turned when he heard the creak of the cot and gave Gibbs a tentative smile.

"Good morning, Boss. Coffee's ready."

Gibbs swung his legs over the side of the cot and sat up, accepting the steaming cup that McGee brought to him. The first sip cleared the sleep-fuzziness from his mind and he breathed a sigh of pleasure.

"Thanks, Tim."

McGee nodded, and Gibbs noticed the tension that the younger man had seemed to carry with him for months had lessened, but there were still traces of doubt. Gibbs knew he had one last chance to erase those lingering worries and he intended to do just that.

"Ready to go fishing?"

McGee's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Sure. Breakfast first?"

Gibbs nodded and watched as McGee swung a grate over the fire and retrieved a cast iron skillet from one of the cabinets in the kitchen area. He placed the skillet on the grate and then went to the porch to retrieve a few items from the freezer. Soon after he returned he had bacon frying in the pan and when it was done he drained off the grease and added eggs to the skillet, scrambling them with a practiced hand.

McGee dished out a plate for Gibbs, then set a cast iron kettle on the grate and took his own plate over to his cot where he began to eat in silence. Gibbs ate in silence as well, appreciating the old-fashioned taste of a meal cooked over an open fire. He wondered when and where Tim had learned this skill, and how much of this was tied to his childhood isolation. He hoped the younger man would learn to associate better memories with this task, and Gibbs was ready to help him, if McGee would allow it.

When they both finished, McGee washed the dishes in a plastic tub, using the hot water from the kettle, and set them in a rack to dry before turning to Gibbs.

"Ready, Boss?"

"Yep. Let's go."

They grabbed their tackle and a container of bait from the freezer on the porch and their camp chairs from the car before heading down the path to the lake. The morning was cool, and tendrils of mist were rising from the lake as they arrived at the dock. The sun was just peeking over the horizon as they set up their chairs at the end of the dock and started putting together the poles and tackle. Soon they each had a line in the water and they sat watching the bobbers drift, bouncing slightly as a mild breeze kicked up small waves in the surface of the lake.

Gibbs leaned back in his chair, enjoying the peace and quiet. He realized how much of a refuge this place must have been for Tim, an escape from the craziness of their jobs, and a place to let go and be himself. Gibbs was strangely flattered that McGee had actually brought him out here, and thankful he had finally shared his secrets, even though it had caused him significant anxiety to do so.

" _I know it's a lot to take in, Boss…"_

And it was. Gibbs couldn't lie to himself about that. Something he couldn't even imagine existed, manifested in his seemingly mild-mannered and _ordinary_ agent. It was completely unexpected, amazing, and, to be honest, a little bit frightening that a single person could wield that much power. Gibbs was glad that if anyone had to have those abilities, that person was someone so unflinchingly moral as Tim. Gibbs knew the only thing he could do to show his appreciation was to give the younger man the understanding he had never been given.

"Nice place," Gibbs began, and Tim turned to him in surprise.

"Thanks."

"And you're planning on keeping it? Keep coming here?"

Tim nodded. "I'll have to do a few things to make it more accessible if... _when_ I bring Delilah here."

"Good. I'm glad you have something like this...for both of you."

Tim nodded before his attention was drawn to his bobber jerking below the surface. The next few minutes were dedicated to bringing in the fish that had taken Tim's bait - a nice-sized small-mouth bass - and adding it the the stringer tied to the dock.

After he had re-baited his hook and cast his line, Tim glanced at Gibbs, obviously wanting to say something, but still unsure of his new status with the older man. Gibbs chuckled softly to himself. It was time to settle this, once and for all.

"Hey, Tim. Plans for next fourth of July?"

"Uh, no, Boss. Not yet."

"Too bad. I bet you could have one hell of a fireworks display out here...and you wouldn't even need to buy any fireworks."

Tim stared at him, wide-eyed, for several moments before a genuine laugh erupted from him and Gibbs could see that at last the tension between them had dissipated. By the time the sounds of his laughter were echoing back across the lake, Tim had control of himself again, but the change was obvious. Finally, he had what he needed: acceptance.

Gibbs grinned and returned his attention to the lake before asking his agent one final question.

"We good, Tim?"

"Yeah, Boss," Tim replied with a genuine grin of his own. "We're good."

The End


End file.
